1. Field of the Invention
In general, the present invention relates to the structure of folding chairs that can be carried as backpacks. More particularly, the present invention relates to folding chairs configured as loungers that can provide full support to elevated legs.
2. Prior Art Description Many people carry folding chairs to the beach, parks, and other outdoor destinations. Typically, the folding chair is a simple small chair. However, some people would prefer the comfort of a larger lounge-style chair that provides support to the legs. Although many lounge chair designs exist, most are too large and too bulky to be comfortably carried for any significant period of time. Accordingly, lounge-style chairs are rarely transported farther than from the house to the backyard patio, or from the car to the beach.
In the prior art, there are many lounge chairs that fold into smaller sizes. Typically, a lounge chair has a backrest that can fold flush against the seat of the lounger. Such folding abilities make the lounge chairs easier to store and stack when not in use. Such lounge chairs are exemplified by U.S. Pat. No. 5,246,265 to Nagan, entitled Lounge Chair. Although such prior art lounge chairs can be folded to some degree, the lounge chairs remain very bulky and difficult to transport.
Recognizing the problem of transporting lounge chairs, some manufacturers have designed lounge chairs that collapse into very small sizes. The collapsed lounge chair can then be carried in a bag. Such prior art collapsible lounge chairs are exemplified by U.S. Pat. No. 5,429,413 to Levy, entitled Folding Lounge Chair and U.S. Pat. No. 6,062,648 to Adler, entitled Foldable Lounge Chair. The problem associated with such prior art lounge chairs is that the lounge chairs must be removed from the carry bag every time they are used and returned to the carry bag whenever they are to be transported. The need to transport the folding lounge chair in a bag makes such prior art chairs inconvenient to use.
A need exists for a collapsible lounge chair that is specifically designed to be carried by a user, hands free. A need also exists for a collapsible lounge chair that can be carried hand free, yet requires no carry bag. Such a collapsible lounge chair needs to be lightweight and collapsible into a convenient size and have lifting features that enable the chair to be comfortably carried for long distances. These needs are met by the present invention as described below.